African Literature of the Continent and the Diaspora

My co-worker chose a number of fiction authors from Africa, the Carribean, and African Americans for a Black History Month display. Some are new authors and others are more well known. Many are published from small press publishers. Here is a list of the authors.

André Philippus Brink
Margaret Cezair Thompson
Nnedi Okoorafor
Guy Johnson
E.C. Osondu
Moses Isegawa
J. California Cooper
Alice Childress
Lorene Cary
Daniel Black
Marie Vieux Chavuet
Rene Philoctete
Helen Oyeyemi
Jewell Parker Rhodes
Gil Scott Heron
Patrick Chamoiseau
Maria Elena John
Marlon James
Percival Everett
Hilary Jordon
Gayle Jones
Andrew Brown
Sandra Jackson-Opoku
Karen Lord

Angel Card Reading for the week of 1/3/12

Third Eye Chakra


It is safe for you to see the energy of love in all its forms such as angels, auras, and visions.

This card comes to you in response to your questions about your future. You have visions about yourself, and you're wondering if they are real or mere imagination. Well the angels assure you that you are having accurate insights and they wish to encourage your visual spiritual gifts.
You have natural clairvoyant tendencies, governed by the energy center located between your two physical eyes, which is known as the third eye chakra. The angels send clairvoyant messages that you .in your mind's eye as shapes, colors, mental movies, dreams, and so forth. Or you may receive their messages via your physical sight such as in the recurring number sequences (111, 444, and so forth)lights and moving objects, or through signs and symbols including feathers, rainbows, clouds, and coins.
The angels wish to help you fully awaken your third eye and understand your psychic visions. They are guiding you to notice and trust all that you see with your inner and outer vision.

Card and reading meaning from Angel Therapy Oracle cards by Doreen Virtue

Angel Card Reading for the week of 12/26

Angel Card Reading for the week of 12/26/11

CELEBRATION

card meaning-Good News! Cause for Celebration is here, and it is time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
The Angels wants you to know that this is the light filled time in you life. You have been working towards making changes, and your intentions have now manifested into form. This is the time for you to fill your heart with a warm feeling of gratitude.
The angels ask you, through this card, to hold strong to this gratitude. You are like a gardener who plants seeds and nurtures them because she has faith that her labors will yield new growth. Keep watering and tending to your seeds, and you will soon see them sprouting through the surface. The angels are you co-gardeners, who help tend to your crop.

Psyche

Psyche by DG

Butterfly wings clipped by fear,
smoldering ashes of a cigarette,
poisoning the lungs and a soul slowly dying.
Muggy fumes of a Brooklyn night,
out on the fire escape, awaiting dawn.

No mortal compares to your kiss,
burned by divinity.
Spurned by lack of faith in you,
at the altar of our broken love I kneel.
Venus, the morning star rises in the east,
heralding a new day,
What help can come from the cold stars?
What do the cruel gods care for humans?
My prayers will go unanswered as you turn away.

Cupid's arrows are dipped in venom
bitterness runs in my veins.
My bridal gown is a widow's veil,
as I will never love again.
The rising sun brings no joy,
the taste of coffee does not arouse me to life.
I shrink into myself,
Were once a goddess dwelt, admired by the crowd,
now lies a worthless wretch, abandoned and alone.

Sweet Stygian sleep,
the drugs dull the pain away.
Below grim Hades and his icy queen, Persephone await
to receive me as an honored guest.

(Inspired by the Greek Myth of Eros and Psyche)

Sunrise

Daybreak, another day begins with the rising of the sun. Listening to Norah Jones' song Sunrise. Awake with a promise of a new day ahead. It seems to be bleak at times, like nothing will change for the better. Yet I cannot shake the sentiment of victory that lies close by. I taste the freedom within my soul, that the bonds of mundane disatisfaction cannot contain.

I worry of the opinions and judgements of others, when the harshest critic is myself. My passion, my driving force, the brightness of my spirit is all I need to forge ahead. It is time.

Affirmations

I accept my greatness because I honor the Divine within myself
I am filled with love for my fellow human beings
I enjoy a life of prosperity and abundance
I am grateful for all the blessings in my life.
I am thankful for the air I breath, the breath of the Divine within me.
I am spiritually evolving daily.
I love myself and all the people in my life.

Limpieza de La Luna Nueva

I recently deactivated my Facebook. There was too much gossip, drama, and distraction up in there. Hopefully this gives me more time to focus on writing on the short story I have been working on about the Archangel Raphael. I haven't been writing a lot lately, much less blogging. I miss it.
Yesterday was a New Moon and a Solar Eclipse. A time for New beginnings and change. Time to discard old and outmoded ideas and features in my life that no longer serve in my growth.
I slowly feel like I am coming back into myself. I just have to face my fears and move forward. Ashe.

Keep Looking Upward

"Remember all those who suffer from their own downfall, after having believed themselves to be winners, and who now weep for the many lost hours. So while you still have time, seek to enrich your own spirits for the tomorrow which awaits you because, in accordance with the teachings of the Lord, it is of no use to retain the outward appearance of the splendor of all the empires of this world, if you maintain darkness within your heart."
Emmanuel, via Chico Xavier (Brazilian Spiritualist)

Novena to Saint Barbara

Novena to Saint Barbara

O Saint Barbara, I offer this prayer to you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. With a sword bearing your illustrious name, Saint Barbara, I make a sign of the cross over my heart. I pray that your spirit by my faith, that your protection and justice be my guide, and from all my heart I beg that you grant this petition. (Mention your request). I hope to obtain this help through your grace. Amen.


Say this novena nine times in a row for nine days in a row.

(Excerpted from the book, “Novena: The Power of Prayer” by Barbara Calamari and Sandra DiPaqua).

Living in the Moment

Loving life allows us to live in the moment, enjoying all of life's benefits. Not being afraid of death, teaches us nothing is permanent and not to be too attached to things.

This thought process came to me after praying.

Angel Oracle Reading

So I drew a card for myself using the Healing with the Angels Oracle Deck to see what is in store for today Thursday, April 28

The card I drew was Enchantment
Card Meaning-"Recapture your childlike sense of wonder and awe. View the world as a magical place."

"Remember when you were a child and how magical the world seemed? The sense of enchantment is the spirit of our inner child. Somewhere along the way, did you lose that sense of wonder?
The angels ask you to recapture your magical sense by remembering that a miraculous power surounds you. Ask God and the angels to help you with anything- small or large. Don't worry-you aren't removing angels from "more important tasks" when you ask for their helo with everday situations. They truly want to support you so that you are free of worries. In that way, you exude the joy and wonder of children who trust that they are taken care of. When you are joyful, your Divine light inspires everyone who sees you."

Sorrow

Everyday life can be a bit of a frustration. Often there is no time to relax, reflect, or just catch your breath. This can lead to a handful of problems.
In times like this, I find myself easily irritated and defensive. This month was particularly frustrating. Mercury in Retrograde through the sign of Aries seem to cause flare ups in myself and others. Things I normally would have brushed aside, I chose to make an issue out of.
Last Friday, my co-workers and I were laid off our jobs. While I find the free time to be most refreshing, the lack of money is not. Still I have a feeling that better things will come along.
Right now I am taking the time to relax, organize, and get my priorities in order. Part of this includes releasing a lot of the old pain of the past. Some of this includes rebuilding and healing the patches of my soul. A lot has to do with forgiveness of myself and others. Letting go of confusion is a start and embracing that I have the knowledge to go forward.

Taking the time to breath and reflect has helped a lot the past few days. It has put things in perspective, as I move from sorrow to joy.

Thanks to all your bright stars and angels on earth for your patience, advice, and most of all Love. Ashe!

New Moon in Aries:April 2011

"It is time to hunt for what brings you strength." -from the Diana card of the Goddess Oracle deck

Prayer

I picked this prayer at random today, when I was praying in front of my Ancestor Altar. It comes from the book Every Day I Pray by Iyanla Vanzant. I thought I would share it with you all. The painting is Symphony of Angels by John Holyfield

Thank God for Faith!

Dear Father/Mother God:
Thank you for the gift of faith.
When I am alone and frightened, faith is there.
When it appears that my resources adn reserves are diminished, faith is there.
When my friends shut their eyes and turn their backs, faith is there.
When I make decisions and choices that are not in my best interest, faith is there.
When my human world is in turmoil, faith is there.
When my human mind can no longer see the goodness you have in store for me, faith is there.
I am so grateful for the gift of faith.
I cannot buy it. I cannot borrow it. I need only to acknowledge you in all my ways and faith is there;
with its Mother, Grace and its Father, Mercy; always at my side.
I am faith filled, I am faithful. I know your angels are faithfully watching over me and paving my way.
Thanik you Father/Mother God.
For this I am so grateful.
And So It Is!

Spiritual Wealth

"Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel" -Proverbs 20:15

True Story also known as the Diary of a Mad Brujo
Back in summer 2007, a young brujo was at the top of his game. He was making 42,000 a year, living in his own apartment. For income he taught at a NYC high school and was earning extra money teaching summer school. To supplement this, he did readings at a local botanica. Then as the school year began, everything fell apart. The students began to be more out of control and he lost his passion for teaching. He just began to go through the motions and it showed.
He quit his teaching job and started to work at a retail outfit. He worked there for four years and was unable to get a better job. Small jobs came here and there but nothing substantial. The store has recently closed and he is now unemployed.

and it's smooth sailing...Odoia Iemanja!

Since my godfather has more time these days, we have been having a misa/party for the orixas and egun every weekend. The one for Oxum last week was particularly cleansing and invigorating. This week, we are having one for Iemanja. Iemanja is celebrated on Dec 31st in Brazil. The beaches are crowded with devotees who make small boats filled with offerings to honor the Mother of the Waters. I like to call Iemanja, Miss 11:59 because she is the orixa who seems to bring in sudden change, at the last minute, and turns the situation around 360. She changes the tide, the current, and life becomes better. Where before there was a desert of despair, her waters wash away the sorrow and bring forth a garden of joy. So it is fitting that she is honored at midnight, on New Year's Eve/Day when the old year vanishes and a new one begins. Exu closes the doors to the past and opens the doors to the future.

I have a new godson too these days and my other goddaughter also visits from time to time. I am currently working through a training in Francisca de Grandis' 3rd Road Wicca tradition.

There appears to be a lot of new opportunities on the horizon, new love, prosperity, new direction. I hope you all are blessed with love, health, prosperity, and serenity in 2011. Ashe.

Home, Hearth, and Heart

In my bedroom, I have a shrine to the lwa Ezili Freda and Ezili Aila. Ezili Aila is the lwa of family love and the home. She is represented by Our Lady of Higher Grace (Altagracia). She is the patroness of the Dominican Republic but also is honored in the town of Delmas in Haiti. Altagracia is depicted as a young virgin usually crowned with the baby Jesus and husband Joseph in tow. This picture has always carried a special meaning for me. It reminds me of the desire for a home, marriage, and family. Since moving back home and leaving my own apartment, the desire for these ideals have increased. Often times it leaves me feeling depressed and it seems that I will never possess such things.
Altagracia has always protected the people that I love and treasure. She can be very stern, strict yet loving. She reminds me of the orisha Yembo in that aspect. She can be ladylike as Ezili Freda but more maternal.

Earlier this year, a Haitian mambo told me that the church in Delmas, Haiti dedicated to Altagracia was untouched by the earthquake. She said the church shook but there was no major damage while other cathedrals on the island crumbled into rubble, including the lovely cathedral in Port-au-Prince. She said that this was a mystery that no one could fathom, that why was this church spared and not others?

Perhaps it is because this lwa represents the strength of the family and home that is in the heart of the Haitian people and this can never be destroyed. That despite all the destruction and death, it is the family and loved ones who keep us alive. I know this is true for my life.

Haiti has not been the focus in the news lately but they still need our help. Recently a cholera epidemic has broken out on the island. One of my favorite charities for Hait is Konbit Pou Edikasyon. They help children on the island.
Their website is http://www.konbitpe.org/Konbitpe.org/Home.html

Looking at the picture of Our Lady of Altagracia, I am reminded there is a love that unites us, the gives birth to new ideas and that no situation, however bleak is permanent.

Autumn in New York

The season that brings change,
leaving the past behind,
the old wounds and griefs,
learning to love oneself,
harvesting the bounty and abundance of life,
walking in the fallen leaves has a cleansing effect,
Moving forward into Winter.

Love Me Like Palm Sunday

Love my Like Palm Sunday

by DG



Oh Baby, Love me like Palm Sunday

When you enter the city gates in triumph,

and the handmaidens of my soul lay out their cloaks before you.

Hossanah! Hallelujah! Praise the King!



Shake the tambourines, clash the cymbals,

preach to me your sermons of love,

read me your Gospel of Desire,

commence a revival in my heart,

cast out the demons of grief and loss,

transform this bitter water to sweet wine.

Redeem me in your saving grace, held tight in your passionate embrace.



Your Judas is gonna betray you with a kiss,

but I only have Oshun's honey on my lips.

Why drag yourself to your own crucifixion,

when I can raise you from the dead.

Let me be like Magdalene and anoint your feet,

to sit enthroned at my side like Solomon arrainged in glory.



Oh Baby, love me like Palm Sunday, I repent my misdeeds.

Take me to Heaven in a fiery chariot, and behold the face of God within you.



Can I get an Amen?

Can I witness your splendor?



Let the Angels sing in celestial choirs,

hymns of praise to you,

reveal to me your Mystery

and make Heaven and Earth one again.



Amen!

Me and My Shadow

I read this book last month entitled The Shadow Effect: Illuminating the Hidden Power of Your True Self by Debbie Ford, Marianne Williamson, and Deepak Chopra. It dealt with the concept of the Shadow, the aspect of ourselves that we do not like, that we endeavour to repress, that we try to hide from society. Yet repression in fact damages our soul and psyche even more. It is by learning to embrace these parts of ourselves that we can in fact find balance once more.
In spirituality we tend to focus on the light, the happy, the joyful. Yet this is not all there is in the cosmos. There is sorrow, pain, night has to proceed day. In fact, as much as love the summer sunshine, it is the cloudy days that make me reflective, the dark night sky that inspires mystery, the cold winter day that makes you curl up in your warm bed and relax, the intoxicating sensuality of the music in a night club. Our Shadow is just as important as the bright light within us. Our Shadow is the Deep Mystery of God, just as our light is Divine Love.
Remember as you walk this world, the complement of opposites that bring life to balance. Night brings rest and regeneration. A seed begins its journey in the darkness of the earth before it sprouts into sunlight, just as we swim in the dark waters of our mother's womb before entering into the light of the world.